A Hard, High Wall And an Egg
English texts follow Japanese texts.
昨今の世界情勢とか、今までの自分の立ち位置とかが最近自分の頭の中で反芻していたので、ここで自分の今考えている事や感じている事を、頭を整理する意味でも記述してみる。
ことの発端は色々とあるのだけれど、ウクライナ戦争やパレスチナ、イスラエルの事、コロナ禍での出来事、自分のプライベートでの経験やら何やらが、一緒になっているのだが、Twitterでのある友人の発言が引き金かもしれない。
その発言の真意は不明ではあるのだけれど、「寛容と和解」という事に触れていたのだが(時期的には恐らくパレスチナ、イスラエルの現状に関してだと推測する)、最初は引っかかる、違和感を感じるぐらいだったのだが、時間を経つにつれて何やら苛立ちを感じるし、それが何故なのかが具体的に言葉に出来ずにいた。発言するのは自由ではあるのだけれど、ある意味平和な国である日本で生まれ育ってきた人が簡単に第三者観点で「寛容と和解」というような、ある意味精神論的なそしてよく言われる常套句で簡単に言えるような問題ではまずは無いし、この辺りの国々の友人がいる事もあり、この言葉を言えるのは恐らく当事者や同じ経験をしてきた人達だけだと感じたからだと思う。
とは言え、自分の中でも自分の立ち位置はよく分からず、考えはまとまらずにいたのだが、ふと村上春樹氏が以前イスラエルでスピーチをしたのを思い出し、英語の原文を探してみたところ、自分のモヤモヤを含めた立ち位置や感情が上手くそこでは述べられていると感じたので、原文をここにそのまま貼らせて頂く。当時のニュースの見出しだと確か「村上春樹、イスラエルを批判」のような見出しが複数あったと記憶しているのだが、真意はご本人しかわからないが、英語のスピーチをなるべくそのまま解釈するに、そのような意はないんじゃないのかなと思う。自分の良いように(自分の立ち位置に合うように)解釈すると、イスラエル、パレスチナ、どの国など諸々関係なく常に卵の側に寄り添うという意味であり、それ以上でもそれ以下でも無いんじゃないのだろうか。
In recent times, I've been contemplating the world's current affairs and my own place in it. So, I thought I'd take a moment to express what's been on my mind, not only as a means to organize my thoughts but also to do so with a sense of humility.
There have been various triggers for these contemplations – from the ongoing conflict in Ukraine to the complexities of the Palestine-Israel situation, the unfolding events during the COVID-19 pandemic, and my own personal experiences. However, it was perhaps a statement made by a friend on Twitter that set things in motion.
Though the true intention behind that statement remains unclear, it touched upon the notions of "tolerance and reconciliation" (presumably related to the current situation in Palestine and Israel). Initially, I couldn't quite put my finger on it, and it felt somewhat unsettling. But as time passed, I found myself increasingly irritated by it, struggling to articulate why.
While freedom of expression is certainly important, especially in a peaceful country like Japan where he (I also) was born and raised, it struck me that notions like "tolerance and reconciliation" are not something one can simply utter from a third-party perspective. It seemed to me that only those directly involved or those who have experienced similar circumstances can genuinely speak about such things.
Nonetheless, I've found myself wrestling with my own understanding of my position and my thoughts haven't quite coalesced. It was then that I recalled a speech by Haruki Murakami in Israel. I searched for the original English transcript and felt that it eloquently expressed the feeling I find myself in, along with all the uncertainties that have been nagging at me.
At the time, the headlines in the news read something like "Haruki Murakami Criticizes Israel," though only the author himself knows the true intent. When interpreting his English speech as faithfully as possible(from my perspective), it seems to me that it's not about taking sides in the Israel-Palestine conflict or any specific nation. Instead, it's about constantly standing by the side of the egg, neither more nor less. In essence, it's a call for unwavering empathy, transcending borders and political divides.
以下はnoteよりカンガルーさんから引用: I referred to the website below from note, Japanese media & blog platform.
https://note.com/charles_thames/n/n7d5688672423
I have come to Jerusalem today as a novelist, which is to say as a professional spinner of lies.
Of course, novelists are not the only ones who tell lies. Politicians do it, too, as we all know. Diplomats and military men tell their own kinds of lies on occasion, as do used car salesmen, butchers and builders. The lies of novelists differ from others, however, in that no one criticizes the novelist as immoral for telling them. Indeed, the bigger and better his lies and the more ingeniously he creates them, the more he is likely to be praised by the public and the critics. Why should that be?
今日は小説家として来た。小説家は、「嘘」を紡ぐプロ。
政治家、外交官、軍隊、中古車販売員、肉屋、建設作業員、誰だって「嘘」をつくけれど、小説家だけは特別。なぜなら、「嘘」をついても怒られないし、それどころか、大きくて良い「嘘」をつくほど、すばらしい作品になり、みんなから褒められる。
My answer would be this: Namely, that by telling skillful lies - which is to say, by making up fictions that appear to be true - the novelist can bring a truth out to a new location and shine a new light on it. In most cases, it is virtually impossible to grasp a truth in its original form and depict it accurately. This is why we try to grab its tail by luring the truth from its hiding place, transferring it to a fictional location, and replacing it with a fictional form. In order to accomplish this, however, we first have to clarify where the truth lies within us. This is an important qualification for making up good lies.
小説家の巧妙な「嘘」は「真実」に光を当てる。「真実」なんてものはどうやっても正確に描けない。だから、「真実」の尻尾を掴んで「フィクション」の世界に引っ張り出す。そのためには、「真実」がどこにあるのか明確にしなければならない。これがよい「嘘」を作るために重要だ。
Today, however, I have no intention of lying. I will try to be as honest as I can. There are a few days in the year when I do not engage in telling lies, and today happens to be one of them.
でも、今日は「嘘」をつくつもりはありません。なるべく正直に話そうと思います。一年の中で数日だけ嘘をつかない日がありますが、本日がその日です。
So let me tell you the truth. A fair number of people advised me not to come here to accept the Jerusalem Prize. Some even warned me they would instigate a boycott of my books if I came.
正直に言って、多くの人からエルサレム賞を受け取ることに反対された。村上の本を買うことをボイコットするという人もいた。
The reason for this, of course, was the fierce battle that was raging in Gaza. The UN reported that more than a thousand people had lost their lives in the blockaded Gaza City, many of them unarmed citizens - children and old people.
その理由は、パレスチナで起きている戦争のこと。イスラエルがパレスチナに軍事侵攻し、老人や子供が1000人以上殺されたと言われている。
Any number of times after receiving notice of the award, I asked myself whether traveling to Israel at a time like this and accepting a literary prize was the proper thing to do, whether this would create the impression that I supported one side in the conflict, that I endorsed the policies of a nation that chose to unleash its overwhelming military power. This is an impression, of course, that I would not wish to give. I do not approve of any war, and I do not support any nation. Neither, of course, do I wish to see my books subjected to a boycott.
だから、ここに来るべきか正直悩んだ。このタイミングで受賞することは、イスラエルの肩を持つのかと、そのように見られてしまう。それは望んでいない。戦争は容認できないし、わたしはどの国もサポートしない。
Finally, however, after careful consideration, I made up my mind to come here. One reason for my decision was that all too many people advised me not to do it. Perhaps, like many other novelists, I tend to do the exact opposite of what I am told. If people are telling me - and especially if they are warning me - "don't go there," "don't do that," I tend to want to "go there" and "do that." It's in my nature, you might say, as a novelist. Novelists are a special breed. They cannot genuinely trust anything they have not seen with their own eyes or touched with their own hands.
でも、熟慮の末に、ここに来ることに決めた。ひねくれものだから。誰かに行くなといわれると行きたくなるのが、小説家。自分の目で見て、手で触って確かめたいと思った。
And that is why I am here. I chose to come here rather than stay away. I chose to see for myself rather than not to see. I chose to speak to you rather than to say nothing.
だから、ここにきて話すことにした。
This is not to say that I am here to deliver a political message. To make judgments about right and wrong is one of the novelist's most important duties, of course.
It is left to each writer, however, to decide upon the form in which he or she will convey those judgments to others. I myself prefer to transform them into stories - stories that tend toward the surreal. Which is why I do not intend to stand before you today delivering a direct political message.
でも政治的なメッセージを送るつもりはない。何が正しくて、何が間違っているかを判断することは、小説家の最も大切な仕事ではあるけど、わたしは、それを現実から離れた小説の中で表現したいと思っている。
Please do, however, allow me to deliver one very personal message. It is something that I always keep in mind while I am writing fiction. I have never gone so far as to write it on a piece of paper and paste it to the wall: Rather, it is carved into the wall of my mind, and it goes something like this:
"Between a high, solid wall and an egg that breaks against it, I will always stand on the side of the egg."
でも、今日は個人的なメッセージを送らせてほしい。それは、小説を書く際に、わたしが常に心の中に刻み込んでいる考え。それは、「固くて高い「壁」と、それにぶつかって壊れてしまうような「卵」があれば、常に「卵」の側に立つ。」というもの。
Yes, no matter how right the wall may be and how wrong the egg, I will stand with the egg. Someone else will have to decide what is right and what is wrong; perhaps time or history will decide. If there were a novelist who, for whatever reason, wrote works standing with the wall, of what value would such works be?
どんなに「壁」が正しくて、「卵」が間違っていても、自分はいつでも「卵」の側に立つ。何が正しいか、何が間違っているか、それを決めるのは時間や歴史。「壁」の側に立つ小説家がいるとしたら、その作品に何の意味があるのか？
What is the meaning of this metaphor? In some cases, it is all too simple and clear. Bombers and tanks and rockets and white phosphorus shells are that high, solid wall. The eggs are the unarmed civilians who are crushed and burned and shot by them. This is one meaning of the metaphor.
このメタファーの意味は？高くて固い「壁」とは、戦闘機、戦車、ロケット、白リン弾（イスラエル軍が使用したと言われる兵器）。「卵」とは、武器を持たない市民であり、武力によって攻撃されるひとたち。
This is not all, though. It carries a deeper meaning. Think of it this way. Each of us is, more or less, an egg. Each of us is a unique, irreplaceable soul enclosed in a fragile shell. This is true of me, and it is true of each of you. And each of us, to a greater or lesser degree, is confronting a high, solid wall. The wall has a name: It is The System. The System is supposed to protect us, but sometimes it takes on a life of its own, and then it begins to kill us and cause us to kill others - coldly, efficiently, systematically.
その隠喩には、もっと深い意味がある。「卵」というのは、あなたやわたし個人（薄い殻に覆われた魂）。「壁」というのは、「システム」。「システム」は私たちを守ってくれるものと思われている。しかし、「システム」は、時にわたしたちを殺し、わたしたちに他の人を殺すように仕向ける。
I have only one reason to write novels, and that is to bring the dignity of the individual soul to the surface and shine a light upon it. The purpose of a story is to sound an alarm, to keep a light trained on The System in order to prevent it from tangling our souls in its web and demeaning them. I fully believe it is the novelist's job to keep trying to clarify the uniqueness of each individual soul by writing stories - stories of life and death, stories of love, stories that make people cry and quake with fear and shake with laughter. This is why we go on, day after day, concocting fictions with utter seriousness.
小説を書く唯一の理由は、「個人」の尊厳を際立たせ、そこに光をあてること。小説の目的は、「個人の魂」が「システム」に絡めとられないように警鐘を鳴らすこと。小説家の仕事は、ストーリーの中でひとりひとりの魂の個性を際立たせることだと強く信じている。だから、わたしたちは本気で、毎日せっせと小説を書いている。
My father died last year at the age of 90. He was a retired teacher and a part-time Buddhist priest. When he was in graduate school, he was drafted into the army and sent to fight in China. As a child born after the war, I used to see him every morning before breakfast offering up long, deeply-felt prayers at the Buddhist altar in our house. One time I asked him why he did this, and he told me he was praying for the people who had died in the war.
昨年父が90歳でなくなった。彼は教師で僧侶でもあった。彼が大学院生のころ徴兵され中国へいった。僕が小学生のころ、彼は毎日朝食前に長い時間をかけて拝んでいた。なぜ拝んでいるのか聞いたら、戦争で亡くなったひとに祈りをささげていると。
He was praying for all the people who died, he said, both ally and enemy alike. Staring at his back as he knelt at the altar, I seemed to feel the shadow of death hovering around him.
My father died, and with him he took his memories, memories that I can never know. But the presence of death that lurked about him remains in my own memory. It is one of the few things I carry on from him, and one of the most important.
敵味方関係なく、すべての人に祈っていた。彼の背中に、そのひとたちの影が漂うのを感じた。父の死後も、彼の周りに漂う死の影はわたしの記憶に残っている。
I have only one thing I hope to convey to you today. We are all human beings, individuals transcending nationality and race and religion, fragile eggs faced with a solid wall called The System. To all appearances, we have no hope of winning. The wall is too high, too strong - and too cold. If we have any hope of victory at all, it will have to come from our believing in the utter uniqueness and irreplaceability of our own and others' souls and from the warmth we gain by joining souls together.
今日ひとつだけ伝えたいことがある。わたしたちは、国籍・人種・宗教は異なっても全員同じ人間であり、「システム」という「壁」と共存する弱い「卵」である。「壁」は高く、強く、冷たい。もしその「壁」に勝つことができるとすれば、それはひとりひとりが持つそれぞれの個性・魂を信じること、そしてその魂が集まり得られる「ぬくもり」だけだ。
Take a moment to think about this. Each of us possesses a tangible, living soul. The System has no such thing. We must not allow The System to exploit us. We must not allow The System to take on a life of its own. The System did not make us: We made The System.
すこし時間を取って考えてほしい。わたしたちひとりひとりが、弱く、生きた魂を持っている。「システム」は魂をもっていない。「システム」に搾取されてはならない、ひとりあるきさせてはならない。「システム」がわたしたちをつくったのではなく、わたしたちが「システム」を作ったのだから。
That is all I have to say to you.
I am grateful to have been awarded the Jerusalem Prize. I am grateful that my books are being read by people in many parts of the world. And I am glad to have had the opportunity to speak to you here today.
商業的なDesignerはある意味システム側に組み込まれる事(組み込まれざる負えない事や、それを作る事もある事)が多いように感じる時もあるし、会社、クライアント内、そして日常において、上で述べた問題と比べれば本当に些細な事ではあるが、壁と卵は常に身近にも存在していると思う。
ある意味システムに迎合したり、組み込まれたりした方が楽だと感じる事は多いし、わかる気もするので、そちら側にいる人達を非難する気はない。ただ、システム側にいる人達、小さな所では大小権力を持っている人達、親、先生、上司、役員、そして政治家の人達等が卵側の気持ちを少しでも気にしてくれるようになると良いなとは思う。小さい時は何も意識をしなかったが、卵側に寄り添い平和的にかつ刺激的にシステムと対峙してきた人達を見て育ってきた影響は多分にあるのかなと、この歳になるとよく思う。
個人的にできる唯一の事は、１つずつの小さな行いや考え方は常に卵側でありたいし、できる事はしていきたい、そして常にそちらに寄り添い隣に立てる人間にはなりたい。
Designers often find themselves, in a way, intertwined with the system (sometimes by necessity, and other times by actively shaping it). While in the grand scheme of things, the challenges faced in corporates, academics, and even in every day lives may seem rather trivial compared to the larger issues that were described above, the dichotomy of "the wall and the egg" is also often present.
It's understandable that at times, one may feel it's easier to conform to or become part of a system. I have no intention of casting blame on those on that side of the equation. However, I do hope that those within the system, even those who hold a modicum of power in their respective spheres – be it parents, teachers, superiors, executives, or politicians – can be more considerate of the egg's perspective. When I was younger, I didn't give it much thought, but I've come to realize that growing up, I've been influenced by those who leaned toward the egg's side, embracing a peaceful yet stimulating confrontation with the system. I often think that this influence carries through to this stage in life.
Only I can do is aspire to continue practicing small acts of kindness and maintain an egg's perspective in my actions and thoughts. I want to contribute in any way I can and improve myself as a person who can truly empathize with and stand next to those on the egg's side.